Living Without You
by Bachy A
Summary: July 6, 2003 - *COMPLETED* Life after Ahm-Shere wasn't at all what she expected it to be...
1. Living in the Darkness

Living Without You

Well, for reasons of legality, it must be said that I do not own any of these wonderful, dynamic, superhuman characters (that would be Mr. Sommers). In any case, no lawsuits against me!! Bad lawsuits!! Back!

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_Summary: What if the events at Ahm-Shere didn't end happily? In an alternate TMR ending, can life move on, even when it seems there is little to live for? _

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Chapter 1: Living in the Darkness

WHAM!! Rick O'Connell felt the wind rush out from his lungs as he was pummeled ruthlessly. He stepped back, hoping to regain his balance, and failing, stumbled backwards into a wall of solid rock. He didn't see how he could possibly defeat this...this...THING, this giant scorpion-man that was threatening to tear him into miniature, bite-sized Rick O'Connell pieces. Mummies, giant bugs, even the little pygmies in the forests of Ahm-Shere were tolerable, but he just couldn't see a way to winning this battle.

Suddenly, his resolve strengthened beyond all belief. He HAD to win this fight, not for himself, not for Jonathan, not even for his son Alex... but for Evie, his love, the soul that had been ripped from him. He had to avenge her – he had to deal with those who had taken his love away.

With renewed vengeance, Rick picked himself up, just in time to dodge the crunching blows landed on the rock by the Scorpion King. Rick vowed to defeat this monster – then, Imhotep would be next. The Scorpion King was only an appetizer; Imhotep was the main course.

Rick was sharply brought out of his reverie by a crash near him. The Scorpion King was relentless – the only way to win, Rick realized, was to clear out and come up with a plan. He quickly shoved a fire basin into the giant scorpion and ran like he had never run before.

~{:*:}~

Panting heavily, Rick leaned up against the nearest wall he could find. He casually glanced around, hoping, praying that he would find some device that would spell the doom of the Scorpion King. His gaze moved around the corridor until he finally looked at the wall he leaned against. _Big deal_, he told himself, _it's just a bunch of hieroglyphics_. He started to move away when suddenly he stopped. _What the...?,_ he thought.

 He whipped his head around and looked closer at the Egyptian man carved into the stone. On his wrist was...a tattoo...a familiar one.

Without any hesitation, Rick ripped off the leather band that encircled his right wrist, exposing the mark that was painted on his flesh. He held it next to the one in the drawing..._they were the same_...

Astonished, Rick Looked at the sequentially placed hieroglyphics, each depicting the man with his tattoo. The carving held a golden scepter..._the same scepter that Jonathan held so dearly..._the scepter could be twisted, transformed into a spear...that spear would be the bringer of destruction to the Scorpion King...

Breathing heavily, Rick said softly to himself, "Okay – now I'm a believer."

~{:*:}~

Jonathan Carnahan and his nephew Alex ran into the Scorpion King's main chamber, searching for Rick, hoping to aid him somehow. Not being able to see Rick scared Jonathan – if Rick had fallen, there was nothing else that could be done...

"Rick!!!" he yelled, hoping against all hope that his brother-in-law was still alive out there, somewhere.

Suddenly, Jonathan's fears were quelled as he saw Rick run around a corner to face his brother-in-law and his son.

"Jonathan!!" He pointed at the scepter that, thankfully, Jonathan still held. "The golden stick thing! It's a spear!!"

Jonathan looked down at the golden rod in his hands, not comprehending. "Really?" He shook his head, looking back up at Rick. "It doesn't look like a spear."

Rick shook his head and wished, for once, that Jonathan would just shut up and listen. "That's because it opens up into one!!"

Jonathan still didn't get it. He looked, dumbfounded, at the scepter. "Yes...?"

Rick let out a growl. "Jonathan! It opens up...into...A...SPEAR!! It..."

He felt the breath leave him as some unspeakable terror crept upon him. He slowly turned and looked up. There, on the ceiling, the Scorpion King crawled, eyeing his prey.

Faintly, through the blood pounding in his ears, he heard his son and his brother-in-law let out identical high-pitched screams and run away in a panic. He barely dodged backwards, avoiding the razor pinchers of the giant scorpion. However, his luck could not last – one of the Scorpion King's arms hit him, hard, sending him reeling to the floor.

He lay there, wondering how long it would be before he was torn apart, and hoping that Jonathan would somehow get Alex out of here.

"RICK!!!"

What breath that was left in his body ceased to move in and out of his lungs. He knew that voice, that sweet voice that he had come to love during the past 9 years. But, it couldn't be...she was gone...gone and never to return.

He sat up as quickly as his aching body allowed and peered ahead. The tears nearly slipped from him right then and there...

There she was – Evie, his darling angel, returned from the death she had been sent to what seemed like an eternity ago. He stared at her in disbelief, wondering for a moment if she was a specter, an illusion created by his ailing mind.

_No, _he thought. _It IS her._ She was there again, alive and beautiful – in that moment, the despair that wracked his soul, the fear and suffering that he had managed to mask during the battle, lifted. Now, his reasons for winning this fight were much greater.

"Evie!?" he cried out reaching towards her. He was sharply brought back to earth by a pincher strike aimed just between his legs. His adrenaline rushing, he rolled to the side and kicked one of the Scorpion King's blows away. He lifted himself up in one swoop and swung himself around, turning to face the Scorpion King. He heard his wife shout to her brother.

"Hurry up, Jonathan! Kill the Scorpion King!! Send his army back to the Underworld!!"

Rick turned and, as if in slow motion, saw Jonathan hurl the golden spear, praying that it would reach its target. It flew threw the air, whistling slightly as it streaked towards its target...

...and was suddenly brought down from its flight by a lightning fast hand. Rick looked, peering at the body that now held the scepter.

Imhotep...it was Imhotep. 

He twirled the spear in his hands, laughing softly. He grinned a devilish grin and turned to plant his feet. In one fell movement, stepped forward and lunged, throwing the spear with all of his might. Evie watched it fly, suddenly feeling her hope drain away. She stepped forward.

"Rick!!" she screamed, trying to alert her husband to the spear's presence.

Rick saw the golden gleam out of the corner of his eye; he knew what would happen if the scepter struck the Scorpion King after having left Imhotep's hand. He leapt towards the spear, praying that he would have the strength and nerve to reach it in time.

He felt cold metal enter his grasp – he clutched at it and landed on the floor. He opened his eyes; the scepter was safely held in his hands. He faintly heard Imhotep, somewhere close by.

"NAI!!!"

~{:*:}~

Rick got to his feet, still astonished that he had managed to, for the time being, halt Imhotep's hopes and dreams.

He heard a loud growl behind him, and turned around quickly. The Scorpion King, it seemed, was not ready to give up. He rushed at Rick, pincers snapping powerfully. Rick felt himself being pushed back, back towards the crevice in the ground that contained all the lost souls of the Underworld.

He slipped, and then felt himself falling over the edge. From somewhere, he heard Evie yell, "No!" Blindly, he stabbed forward with the spear, hoping that he at could at least save the world...one last time.

He shut his eyes tight, hoping that, as he fell, he would land a strike on the Scorpion King and send him back to the darkness, where he belonged.

_Strange, _he thought, _this doesn't feel like falling_. He peeked out through the semi-closed slits of his eyelids. He saw himself dangling, holding desperately onto the spear, which, at the moment, was lodged in the chest of the Scorpion King. He stared in disbelief, hardly able to comprehend his fortune. 

He quickly turned his amazement into rage. Driving the spear further into the scorpion, he growled, "Go to hell, and take your friends with you!"

The Scorpion King let loose a horrendous, unearthly screech and, without warning, disintegrated into a torrent of black sand. Rick felt the spear come loose – he tried to grab anything, anything that might save him. There was nothing, he realized – he realized it exactly as he fell into nothingness.

~{:*:}~

Evelyn saw the dark, deadly cloud rise away from where the Scorpion King had once stood. She held her breath as the evil veil swarmed over her – once it had passed, she looked over to the crevice in the floor. The Scorpion King was no longer there. . .Imhotep was no longer there...but, more importantly......

...Rick was no longer there...

She felt the despair clutch at her heart. Where was he? Could it be possible that...he...that he had......fallen in??

She didn't want to believe it, didn't want to confront the terrible possibility that her husband was gone. She had been given a second chance at life, at the existence that she longed to be a part of...why was fate toying with her like this?!?! Why was she brought back, only to watch the only man she'd ever loved fall away from her?!?!

She felt the hot tears begin to leak from her eyes. Her husband meant everything to her – no matter how many times she expressed that to herself, she never, ever felt any different. Rick was the other half of her, the half that held her half, the half that brought her out of darkness into the light.

Why...? Why was he gone, and she made to stay here without him...?

She stood there, weeping uncontrollably – she wept for her son, who now had no father; she wept for Jonathan, who now had lost the only brother figure he had ever had; but most of all, she wept for herself – now, she had no man to love her, no man to cherish her, no man to hold her when she needed to be held.

As the tears flowed freely, she gazed into the cavern, not wanting to break away from the spot where she had last looked upon her husband; she didn't want to move, didn't want to lose that feeling, that memory, that reality of him.

Suddenly, without warning, she saw a hand creep up over the ledge of the crevice. Her heart stopped; her breath stopped – she wanted to believe, _needed_ to believe...

Another hand appeared next to this, and the owner of the hands began to pull himself upwards. Evelyn held her breath, staring at the hands that would be her salvation...

...She felt the breath leave her and the despair return. Imhotep. The hands belonged to Imhotep. The anguish inside her doubled: this man, this abomination that had ripped their lives apart, had survived. Her dearest love had not triumphed, and yet this monster had been allowed to live.

As the misery began to wash over her in unstoppable waves, she saw something that she had given up all hope on: _another_ hand had appeared on the ledge, _and yet another_. She saw that the second hand had a ring, a simple gold band, on it. She felt her broken heart cry out in happiness when she saw those hands pulls their body upward.

Rick...it was Rick...he had lived!! He was still there, there to be forever. The sight of him alive nearly sent Evelyn to her knees. The happiness she felt now rivaled all other joyous moments in her life. Her love, her dearest was still here...and he wasn't giving up without a fight.

Just as she thought her elation could reach no higher level, she felt her insides plummet as she watched her husband drop out of view, and then, painfully, slowly, pull himself back up. Something was pulling on him...something was trying to rip their happiness away.

~{:*:}~

Rick struggled as he attempted to pull himself onto the ledge, but he couldn't do it. He looked down at the souls wrenching at his legs, trying to tear him away, trying to bring him into the depths. He looked to his side and saw Imhotep, dangling from the side of the crevice, fighting a much similar battle.

He looked over at his wife and saw her staring at him, disbelief and shock on her face. He saw her eyes, and the intentions that lay behind them.

~{:*:}~

Evelyn's body stood in a stasis; for all the tries she made to reach out to her husband, to pull him to safety, to hold him in her arms, her being would not budge. Her eyes conveyed her action as she looked  at the temple crumbling around them.

~{:*:}~

Rick saw the pieces of rock fall from the ceiling and smash into the ground, creating shattering bursts of deadly stone. He looked back at Evie and saw her eyes darting back and forth.

In that instant, he knew what she intended to do. She was going to try and save him. 

He saw another rock piece burst upon the floor – he realized that there was no way Evie could get there without avoiding all of the dangerous missiles.

He had watched her die once. Seeing it happen again would tear him in two – he _had_ to save her, even if he could not save himself.

He looked deep into her eyes, locking his gaze with hers, trying to convey his love for her in one glance.

"Evie, no!! Get out of here!! Just get out of here!!" 

He saw the pain in her eyes, the struggle between the parts of her soul. Nevertheless, he couldn't allow her to place herself in danger only for him.

"No!" he yelled, hoping that she would understand.

~{:*:}~

She heard his words – words that tore at her heart. They threatened to overtake her completely. She saw the love in his eyes, knew that he was trying to save her when he could not save himself.

Her rational mind told her that she had a son and a brother to think about. Her emotional mind told her that the love she felt for Rick would not be kept from this judgment.

With the two parts of her mind battling, her soul decided to push her body to a decision.

~{:*:}~

Rick watched in horror as his wife threw herself towards him, dodging rocks splashes as she went. He felt he could take no more when once, and then twice, she nearly escaped being crushed by the falling debris. 

With one final move, she dove towards him, sliding towards his body that was hanging precariously in the crack. She grasped his head gently but firmly, pulling with all her might.

He saw the tears, and the love, in her eyes. He understood why she would have sacrificed herself for him – it was the same reason that would push him to give his life for her.

He tried to help her lift his body out of the pit – it took all of his remaining strength to raise himself up even a bit. He thought, just for a moment, that maybe, just maybe he could bring himself back, back to his son, back to his wife, back to the life he knew.

That optimism shattered as, with another gut-wrenching pull, the souls below him threatened to drag him into their depths. He felt his grip on the cold stone slip, his grasp on all that remained between him and all he had ever lived for, weaken. He felt his resolve, his being weaken, and, no matter how much he wanted to ignore it, he felt his body failing him when he needed it most.

~{:*:}~

She looked into his eyes, and began to realize: she could feel his strength leaving him. Fresh tears began to escape from her; she knew that Rick would never voluntarily give up – but, if it was beyond his control...?

She whispered to him, audible only barely above the crashing stone, "Rick...please...please don't leave me. Please..." No other words could escape her mouth; these were the only ones she had to convey her meaning with.

She watched him, holding him still, but unable, for all her effort, to do anything more.

~{:*:}~

Imhotep hung from the precipice, using all his strength to keep the souls from dragging him down. He looked to his left, watched as the woman known as Evelyn held onto her husband. He felt the love radiating from them, like the sun radiating out of their very souls.

He looked over at the doorway across from him. His love, Anack-su-namun, stood there, watching. He yelled to her in his native Egyptian.

"Anack-su-namun!! Help me!! Save me!!"

She looked at him, true fear registering in her eyes. She twisted her mouth, turned, and ran like the wind away from the cavern, away from her love.

"Nai!!" she shouted as she left.

Imhotep hung, staring in disbelief at his retreating love.

"Anack-su-namun..." he whispered, tears starting to form in his eyes. She had left him – she did not love him anymore.

He glanced again to his left, watched as his two enemies clung to each other, glad for them because, for just a moment, love seemed to still exist on the earth.

With one last breath, Imhotep threw himself into the pit, allowed the souls to grab, to tear into him, knowing that this physical pain would be nothing compared to the split he felt in his heart.

~{:*:}~

Evie watched her husband, saw his soul through his eyes. She saw what he saw; she knew what he was thinking: he could not be saved from this, not for all the tries they both made.

She could feel the horrible pain begin to enter her body again – she had almost lost Rick, only to find that he was still alive and savable. Now, once again, she was being denied to help the man in front of her.

Rick smiled, trying to be as comforting as he could, and whispered to her.

"Evie...you have to go...you and Alex and Jonathan have to get out of here while you still can."

"No..." she managed to say. She didn't want to believe that, after all of the suffering they had both endured – she didn't want to accept it. "No...you can't...no..."

The rumbling around them grew more intense. The pyramid was about to be taken back into the earth – they could both feel the ground shake beneath them.

Rick knew that the end was near – he could just feel it. However, for all that was happening around them, he never took his eyes off of his beautiful Evie. He wanted to capture that face, remember it, no matter where he went. 

He blinked hard; he had to convince Evie to get out of here, to save herself, her brother, and their son – they had lives to live, even though he would not.

He gazed up at her, looking at her. He had never loved anyone as he loved her and now, with the end speeding near, he knew that he would not have given anything to change any of the nine years they had spent together. He knew his love for her would last forever, no matter where he went, no matter where she went.

"I love you, Evie – I'll love you more than you'll ever know. You are the best thing that ever happened to me. Don't ever forget that."

More tears leaked out of her; her husband had said the words "I love you," words that, although he had always conveyed to her, he could never seem to speak out. She also cried for the fact that, now, it seemed like things would not end happily ever after. How could things end this way...? She didn't understand, and that lack of understanding brought even more tears out of her.

"Rick...baby, please...don't leave me here...I love you, so much...don't leave me..." she wept, holding her husband's head in her arms.

He reached up with one hand and caressed her face, stroking her face and wiping the tears from her eyes. In that moment, the touch, the feel of his skin upon hers ignited her emotions beyond all understanding. She felt his energy, his life flowing through her and, through the sadness that plagued her heart, she could feel the incomprehensible love he felt for her.

"I love you – never forget that Evie, not as long as you live...Tell...Alex that I will always be there...Tell him that I love him, and that's he's the best son a father could ever have...But most of all, always know that, wherever we are, I will love you...forever..."

Suddenly, a giant rumbling overtook the cavern. She felt her grip on her husband slip, and then disappear completely. She watched him fall below, into the crevice, his eyes never leaving hers. Her scream penetrated into the ground, into the earth itself, implanting a wave of anguish into the air.

"NOOO!!!!!!!!"

Another rumble sent her onto he back, sliding away from the crack in the floor. She quickly scrambled up and flew towards the crevice...but she was too late. Rick had disappeared from view. 

He was gone.

~{:*:}~

Alex watched, saw everything that happened. He saw his father fall from the crevice, out of sight. He wanted to rush out, to save his dad and bring him back, but his body failed him. In that moment, Alex began to cry. His father was gone, and he had been too weak to save him.

~{:*:}~

Evie sank to the ground, crying like she had never cried before. The despair took over, coursing through every facet of her mind, body, and soul. Oblivious to the increased destruction happening in and around the temple, she sat, huddled, wailing in lament for her love.

He was gone...he was gone, and there was nothing she or anybody else could do to bring him back. She would never see his handsome face again; she would never hear his laugh again; she would never again smile in delight at his American way of doing things; she would never again feel his lips upon hers; but most of all, she would never be able to share her love with him again. Life suddenly had little meaning to her and, in a moment of blindness, she considered following the route her husband had taken.

She suddenly felt a hand grasp her shoulder and bring her standing. She weakly turned around and saw her brother standing there, with her baby boy standing near the doorway.

"Evie!!" Jonathan shouted above the roar heard all around, "we have to get out of here, now!!"

~{:*:}~

Jonathan looked at his sister; saw the pure anguish raging through her face. She gasped for air, not being able to breath properly – Jonathan began to realize what was happening to her.

Evie mumbled out, "He's...he's......"

She couldn't finish; new tears sprang out of her and she began to sob again. Jonathan held onto her as a new realization hit him: Rick was gone.

The understanding was like an anvil hitting him in the chest. Rick was the closest thing Jonathan had to a brother; he was a tough, gun-toting American barbarian, but he had been a wonderful brother-in-law; more importantly, he had been the best father and husband to both Evie and Alex...

A loud crash brought Jonathan out of his reverie. He knew that, even with their combined sadness, they had to get out of the pyramid, the three of them together. He was the one who had the responsibility now; Evie and Alex were now his greatest concerns.

He gently but firmly lifted his sister up, guiding her towards the outside. He tried to run, but Evie would not, could not, do the same – her grief was too great. Without another thought, he lifted his sister into his arms and began to carry her towards the exit.

Passing his nephew, he said, "Come on partner, time to go!!"

Alex followed behind his uncle and looked at his mother cradled in Jonathan's arms – he saw the pain in her eyes. Alex wanted to follow his mother's state of being – he wanted to let loose the torrent of anguish that was built up inside of him. But he would not; he was the one who had to be the man now; he hadn't been strong enough to save his dad, but, for his father's sake, he would not allow any more members of his family to be hurt.

~{:*:}~

Jonathan, realizing that the oasis of Ahm-Shere was being dragged into the pyramid, elected to take the high ground and climb up the pyramid. Alex was adept at it: he sped up the pyramid, wishing to get as far away as he could from the chaos below. Jonathan had a hard time getting up, mainly because of his sister. The sorrow that ripped at her would not allow her body to function; it would not allow her to move. As a result, Jonathan had to climb up a level and then drag his sister up.

Finally, they all reached the top of the pyramid. It was then that Jonathan began to panic – the oasis was rushing into the golden structure, and it appeared that, once that had been completed, the pyramid would disappear as well, taking all of them with it. He couldn't see any way out...

"OY!!!"

Jonathan whipped around and saw the most welcome sight he had ever seen – it was Izzy, with his newly repaired dirigible.

"Izzy!!"

"Come on, come on, get your butts moving!" yelled Izzy. "Hurry up, I haven't got all day!!"

Izzy lowered the balloon to a point where they could easily get in. Jonathan grabbed Evelyn and placed her on the deck – he did the same with Alex before jumping in himself. As the dirigible lifted up, Jonathan watched the golden pyramid become sucked up into the desert, never to be seen again. He leaned back and blew out a deep breath.

~{:*:}~

Within minutes, night had fallen. Izzy guided his dirigible upwards, heading in the direction of Cairo.

Jonathan, still exhausted by the near fatalness of the whole experience, sat at the edge of the nose. He took in a deep breath and looked over at his sister.

She was huddled in  a corner, still except for the trembling and the wracking cries that were overtaking her. Jonathan picked himself up, walked over, and sat down next to her.

"Evie...?" he asked, not really expecting and answer; just needing to know that she was still with them.

She halfway glanced up at her brother, eyes red and leaking non-stop. She tried to speak, but all that came out was a small cry. She gulped and tried again.

"J...Jon...Jonath...Jonathan..." was all she could manage before she began to sob again. Jonathan quickly pulled Evelyn to him and hugged her tightly. Her grasp on him instantly tightened; she held onto him as though she would fall if she let go.

Jonathan kissed the top of his sister's head, allowing a fear tears to leak out from his eyes. He turned his head and noticed that Alex was standing there. He stood tall, trying to be the man that he knew his father had been, but still, he began shedding tears beyond all reckoning. 

Jonathan reached up and grabbed his nephew and pulled him into an embrace. As soon as she felt her son next to her, Evelyn wrapped around him as well, holding onto her baby as they all cried, whimpering and weeping for the hole that had forced its way into their lives.


	2. Passing Through The Land of Shadow

Chapter 2: Passing through the Land of Shadow

Life, it seemed, had decided to move on, even if some of its occupants did not. Jonathan, Evelyn and Alex had returned to England, at Jonathan's bidding, after spending only two weeks at their home in Cairo. In those two weeks, both Evelyn and Alex had grown considerably worse – if anything, the sorrow that tore through Evelyn at a constant pace seemed to have quickened its relentless attack.

Now, at the home they had once found unlimited comfort in, both remaining O'Connells were beginning to break apart.

Alex would not go back to school, the place where he had so many memories of his father. He found out that he could not really do anything or go anywhere without being reminded of his dad. As a result, Alex spent most of his time in his room, leaving only to eat occasionally.

Compared to his mother, Alex was in fine shape. Evie's health had deteriorated beyond the point of slightly worrisome. She, unlike her son, had not left her bed in the two weeks they had been home. She would occasionally eat the broth and toast Jonathan made for her (Jonathan had never actually seen her eat; when he would return to collect the dishes from her room, they were empty, so he just assumed). 

As often as he could, he would creep into his sister's room and sit next to her huddled figure on the bed. He would hold her, whisper to her that everything would be all right, trying as a brother to comfort her in any possible way. She never responded to his voice with her own; the only indication he had that she was still alive was the tightening grasp on him when he would lie next to her. 

Jonathan worried for his sister – she had been extremely torn up when their parents had died, but now, she was slipping beyond the despair and depression that he had known after their parents' deaths.

Evelyn was falling away from him, and he was terrified that he could do nothing to bring her back.

~{:*:}~

For her part, it took Evelyn all her remaining strength to move ahead each day. Except, ahead just wasn't how she could possible describe her existence any more.

She knew, in her heart of hearts, that she had to move, had to get up and at least appear as though she was attempting to live her life, if not for her sake then for her son's.

She was somewhat aware of the continuous passage of night and day, their thunderous arrivals and exits resounding loudly. Each day and night was the same, never-ending journey through the depths of sorrow so incomprehensible that it would have been impossible to speak it out with words.

And each morning, as the sun came up, and each night, when the sun hid its fiery face, the same montage of life's happiest events ran through Evelyn's mind, not letting her forget what she had once known to be reality.

~{:*:}~

The first of the images that always came to her was that of when she had met him for the first time. She could still see it vividly; all of the senses came flooding back into her. She remembered the barbarism of the Cairo prison, the wild sense of it all. She had been horrified at the place, but she had come to find some information, and Evelyn Carnahan did not back down when she wanted something.

She remembered the first time she had laid eyes upon him. She saw a dirty, disheveled, beastly American who displayed an aura of...well, she guessed it was some sort of charm hidden beneath the layers that prison life had placed on him.

She asked him about the box that Jonathan had "found," secretly hoping that they would be able to pull the secret location of Hamunaptra from him and then leave this ghastly place. Yet all the while, she could not take her mind off of this man. True, he was dirty, and in need of a shave and a haircut, but something about him drew her in. 

And then he had kissed her, suddenly. Before she had had the ability to rationalize, his lips upon hers had drained away all reason in her body. Even after the had taken him away, the feelings, the raw emotion that filtered through her left her in disbelief. 

She had tried to shake those feelings off, had hoped to simply get the information and walk away. But this chance encounter had started something, something that neither Evie or this strange man had planned on.

~{:*:}~

It had been an unusually calm night at Fort Brydon, unusual indeed because it lay in the middle of an unpredictable desert. Rick and Evie's love for each other had blossomed, but with some degree of shyness attached to it. They both had strong feelings for each other, but life had taught them both to shield emotions when faced with work that had to be done (especially after the happenings at Hamunaptra) – as a result, neither was exactly sure how to let love flourish within them.

At any rate, they were in love; they both knew it, and they both knew that, in time, it would develop into something more.

It had been on one of their dates – they had both enjoyed the meal, but even more did they enjoy each other's company. The evening had been beyond perfect – as they were walking home, Rick popped the question.

"Evelyn Carnahan, will you marry me?"

In her heart, she had been wondering when, and if, he would ever have the courage to ask her. But when the words floated to her ears, she found herself at a loss, unable to do anything. She remembered gasping, suddenly having a hard time breathing – tears of unparalleled happiness fell from her.

Rick, in his cute little fashion, assumed that she was crying out of fear, or some other dire emotion. He had reached for her, trying to hold her and drive the fear from her. "Evie," he had asked, "are you okay?" 

She had looked up into his eyes, and had smiled at his concern for her. She wiped away her tears, and hugged him closer to her.

"Yes."

She had meant, "Yes, of course I will marry you!" But all that came out was that simple word, which he had taken only for a confirmation that, indeed, she was all right.

She had watched the sadness creep into the fires of his eyes – clearly, he was thinking that she did not want to marry him.

As one tear became closer to slipping out of his eye, he said, "I mean, I, uh, I understand if you don't want to..."

"Yes," she repeated.

He had stopped, had looked at her with a dumbfounded expression. She had giggled at his look.

"Yes?"

"Yes...I will marry you."

He had stood there for a moment, seemingly unbelieving that she had actually said yes. She smiled as more tears rolled off her face. She buried herself in his strong embrace, reemphasizing herself: "Rick O'Connell, I would be delighted to be your wife."

Finally, the reality had hit him – his face split into a broad smile as he lifted her up and spun her around. They both laughed and held each other, relishing in eternity.

~{:*:}~

She remembered the day she had come home from the doctor's office with the most amazing news – she was going to have a baby. 

And yet, for all her excitement at being a mother, she had the nagging worry that Rick would be angry. She knew that it was stupid to even consider that he would be so, but she had her concerns nonetheless. 

She had gone home to wait for him. Throughout all her waiting, Evelyn tried to imagine whether the child she carried now would be a boy or a girl. Would it be a boy with Rick's handsome features, or would it be a girl that would look like Evelyn had when she was a child?

Once again, her worries about Rick's reactions resurfaced. What if he didn't want this baby...? What would she do?

She remembered hearing her heart pound louder as she heard him enter through the front door. He had walked into the parlor, looking tired but cheerful – upon seeing her worried state, he became concerned.

"Evie, what's the matter? Are you okay?"

She had looked up at him sadly, preparing herself for the worst.

"I just came back from the doctor's."

The worry on his face had grown more intense – he reached for her as he said, "Is everything alright?"

With great hesitation, she let the truth out.

"I'm pregnant...We're going to have a baby."

She looked at him, waiting for his reaction. His face had changed from concerned to surprised in an instant – she sat, waiting for the outburst that she knew was going to come…

"Hahaha! Evie, that's wonderful!!" 

She blinked hard – she hadn't expected THAT. 

"You're...you're not angry...?"

He pulled her to her feet, lifted her up and twirled around. When he brought her back down, he pulled her into an embrace.

"Angry? Haha, no way! This is incredible – I'm going to be a father!!"

The relief had flooded through her – she was going to have a child, their child, and he was overjoyed with that knowledge. She cried happily and let her husband hold her. 

~{:*:}~

Her pregnancy had been a very difficult one – it lasted nearly nine hours. However, before she knew it, it was all over. She cradled her baby boy (yes, it had been a boy) in her arms, staring at him, realizing that he was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

They had let Rick in shortly after, when she had had enough time to rest. He sat on the bed and shuffled over next to her. They looked at each other – in that moment, their combined joy flowed through one another.

She had handed their son to her husband; she watched in awe, as they lay peaceful, staring at each other, father and son together. 

"What are we going to name him?" he had asked.

They had both considered names for both boys and girls, but none had really struck them as perfect.

Suddenly, she had an idea – she thought of her great-grandfather's name; it would be perfect.

"What about Alexander?" she queried.

Rick looked back at their son, and smiled.

"Hey Alex, how are you?"

Both parents smiled and held each other; baby Alex safe between his mother and father's embrace. And, for that moment, time stood still because, at that very moment, there was nothing else to do.

~{:*:}~

Evie lay on her bed, crying afresh – the memories would not leave her. She and Rick had been so happy together; they had had everything they ever needed. And now that was gone.

She thought about the bracelet of Anubis. She let the guilt wash over her: this was her fault. If she hadn't had the bloody preoccupation with the bracelet...if those dreams had never come to her...none of this would have happened. She should have left the bracelet where it was...she should have kept that evil where it lay...she should have listened to her husband's wish...she should not have allowed such an abomination to rip away at her heart...

She knew that she was thinking nonsense. Were it not for their efforts, Imhotep might, at this moment, be rampaging across the globe. Her family had once again saved the world...but this time, the price was far more than she could possibly bear.

She slowly lifted herself from the bed, only to walk over to the window. She gazed out at the English countryside. Life would never be the same for her. She would give her love to Alex, and to Jonathan, but there would never be another Rick O'Connell to come sweeping into her life.

She started to cry again, softly at first and then louder, as she sank to the floor. She knew she had to move on, for her family's sake, but, at the moment, she saw no possible way to do so.

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Hey everybody – I will continue writing, but I am going on Spring Break tomorrow (yea!!), so I will be away from a computer for a while. If you feel like reviewing, please do – this is my first ever fic, but if you are absolutely disgusted with it, please tell me. I will only grow as a writer with your help - Thanks.

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	3. Wrath of Heaven

Chapter 3: Wrath of Heaven

The void swirled, enveloping its starry expanse into everything, and then spilling back out into nothingness. Darkness crept throughout the corners of the Otherworld, but not the kind of darkness that squeezed the light from its bounds; this darkness existed simply because it WAS, because it had been willed into being by those powerful enough to shape the nothing everywhere.

A perpetual light shone through the depths, but its source could not be pinned down – it seemed to be nowhere and everywhere, all at once.

This light spread forth, emitting newer, smaller orbs of starry light – these tiny bulbs hesitated in gravitating towards the reaches of the Otherworld. A natural fear and hesitation radiated from them: they did not understand. Why they were here, what they would do...all of the questions that plagued their still remaining minds were, for now, to be left unanswered.

Left with nothing but waiting, the orbs floated towards a single region of the Otherworld – here, the boundary seemed translucent, and yet glassy in its appearance. The orbs gathered, their collective wondering creating a low hum. 

Suddenly, the boundary flared to life with vivid color that made the orbs fly back in amazement. The image was blurred, shaking slightly. They crowded closer, trying to peer into the undeterminable mass of color that spewed from the mirror (for that's what it was).

But this was no ordinary mirror – as the orbs grew more enraptured by the prospects the mirror had to offer, they began to realize that the mirror showed something, something they had once known intimately.

Earth. It was Earth.

The orbs gasped at this realization – it was their home, the place that they had come to know through their entire lives. 

However, even though they all saw the Earth, the mirror was able to use its influence and show each orb the small part that pertained to where it had once resided.

~{:*:}~

One orb floated forward slightly, straining. It could feel something stirring within itself – it was sure that, if it possessed a body, it would have felt some sort of strong emotion coursing.

The small ball of light did not understand this stirring – it was highly irrational, and very much un-needed. However, the part of its mind that had transcended earthly bounds still held some trace of emotion so strong it would have been crippling.

It looked up at the mirror, waiting to see what it would show, what it had in store. The picture grew slightly cleared and, after what seemed like an eternity to the little orb, snapped into perfect focus.

It saw a room, lavish in its craftsmanship, with several large pieces of furniture about. It peered closer.

On the bed were two people, one a human man and the other a human woman. The woman, the orb supposed, was quite beautiful by human standards – however, at this moment, she lay under the covers, weeping human tears.

The man sitting next to her rubbed her back, trying to soothe her.

"Evie," he said, his voice magnified to only the orb itself from a great distance away. "Evie, you have to get up."

The woman made no response to the man's calls – she continued to weep, staring into space at something only she could see. The orb floated closer to her.

"Evie..." it whispered in its own mind.

Suddenly, the view snapped to somewhere different. The orb had the distinct feeling that it was still in the same house.

A small boy stood near a large door, waiting, waiting for something that would not come. Slowly, ever so slowly, the door opened and out walked that same man. He knelt in front of the boy and brought him into an embrace. The orb could faintly hear choked sobs from the man as he spoke to the boy.

"It's okay Alex...everything's going to be...all right partner. Don't you worry..."

The orb looked closely at the boy.

"Alex..."

Without warning, the view disappeared completely, and once again, the orbs were left to wait.

The one orb floated to a corner of the nothingness, thinking as hard as it could about the two names "Evie" and "Alex." It hurt its energies to think hard, but it had the feeling that, after all, it knew these people. 

But, try as it might, it had no recollection of ever coming into contact with them. They were merely remnants of déjà vu, it believed, a feeling that meant little to the orb as it passed into eternity.

There was no way that they were anything to the orb. They were merely fragments of a shattered time on Earth – the woman and the boy had little meaning now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Note: I realize now that this chapter is complete...well, let's call it "blah," because that is all it is. I'm sorry if this doesn't strike you as very good, but it is leading me towards an idea in the end (so, hopefully, it will all be good). Oh BTW, in case anyone doesn't know, this "orb" is supposed to be Rick's soul – my intention on this chapter was to show that, by being taken to the Otherworld, Rick has lost all memory of his family (a sad idea, but frankly, I did a poor job with it here). Oh well, it's four in the morning right now, so if you would like to review this trash chapter, please do so – and if you actually like it, please tell me, haha :-)

P.S.

I promise future chapters will be of better quality, haha!

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	4. Eternity, Day by Day

Chapter 4: Eternity, Day by Day

For Evie, a new kind of darkness had formed before her very eyes. Despair so low, so wrenching, attacked her on an unstoppable pace – it amazed some small part of her mind that, no matter what it be, any object, fragrance, or aura would trigger the sensations within her that, maybe, after all, it was just a nightmare...Rick was there, and would always be there to comfort her, to hold her when she needed him most...

...and then, life would come crashing down to reality. The recognition that Rick was not there would hit her in a full-body blow. Try as she might, she could not accept it. The fact that Rick was gone, never to return, ran awash over her, evoking emotions as fresh as that fateful day back at Ahm-Shere.

 She felt them, everywhere: the spirits that reminded her of Rick. She had refused to remove anything of his from the house – his clothes still lingered in their closet; his car was still parked in the garage...and yet, there was more to it than that. The essence of Rick himself was EVERYWHERE. She would sense it as she moved from room to room; on some occasions, it was as if she could actually see Rick, above her, watching over her. And no matter how many times she cried, no matter how many times she wailed for him to come back, that presence disappeared, leaving the boundaries of conscious reality.

The demons would not leave her, would not let her forget...and, even though she swore that she would NEVER forget, they continued to pass above, around, and through her, tormenting her soul with the pain of love that had been lost.

~{:*:}~

It had been five weeks, five agonizing weeks, before Evie had pushed herself to leave her room. Alex had reached this same juncture in much less time, but with no less anguish.

It had surprised both Jonathan and Alex greatly when, one morning, as they both ate breakfast, she walked into the kitchen, firmly but silently doing everything in her power to retain her mind.

Jonathan looked up at his sister, surprised, happy, and distressed all at once. He had, in past weeks, admitted to himself that he was not ready at all to fill the position that Rick had once so easily occupied. _Sure_, Jonathan thought to himself, _I've done the best I can. But that is not nearly good enough_. He felt somewhat hopeless at times, having to take care of both his sister and his nephew...but, no matter how he felt, he understood he had a job to do.

Jonathan had indeed changed since their return from Ahm-Shere. True, he still retained his joking demeanor, but a new level of seriousness had entered his veins. He had not touched a drop of alcohol in five weeks, and while it had been killing him on the inside, he realized that now, to disregard his duities to his family would do far worse than the absence of his favorite drink.

His happiness at seeing his sister was strained; he could literally feel the pain, the tension, the sense of abandon pouring off of her. She met his eyes; both brother and sister gazed at each other. Her's was the first to break; tears welled up in her eyes as she bowed her head in defeat.

Both Alex and Jonathan were there immediately, reaching for her in comfort. Again to their surprise, she lifted her head and held her hand, palm forwards, towards them.

"No..." she whispered softly. She would not allow this to continue. She did not know if she could block her emotions completely, but now, she vowed that she bloody well would keep her feelings in check around her family. The time for grieving would continue in all of their hearts – but now, life had to move on.

She attempted to smile slightly and, surprisingly, succeeded. She shook her head slightly and motioned for her brother and her son to sit down. She moved around the counter to the teapot and poured herself a cup.

She sat down at the table. She, Jonathan, and Alex occupied three of the four chairs at the table. She gazed at the empty fourth spot across from her...

...and he was there. Reading the mail. He shuffled through the stack, making faces of disgust as what were presumably bills, and smiling at the occasional letter that someone had bothered to send. He looked up at her, smiled his goofy grin and winked at her. Shyly, he mouthed the words "I love you..."

"Evie?"

Her attention snapped back to the present as she turned to face her brother. His face was still full of concern, despite her attitude that there should be none.

"Are you okay, old mum?"

She stared at him for a moment, and then let her gaze trail back to the empty seat across from her. Empty...that was all it would ever be. She could not be free of him, no matter how much she wanted to be. Their love was so strong that it would not leave her – it transcended all bounds. But she refused to let it consume her any longer – that love would always remain, but now, she reminded herself, she had a brother and a son to care for.

"I'm fine Jonathan...perfectly fine."

Jonathan knew that to be a lie. She would not, could not possibly be _perfectly_ fine. But for the moment, that façade would pass. He smiled at her; looking at Alex, he saw that same concern plainly in his face – he shook his head at his nephew, telling him that everything would be all right eventually. 

For the moment, it seemed that peace had allowed the three a brief respite from the pain that ran through them all.

~{:*:}~

Pushing all bounds that Jonathan thought were still present, Evie had decided that she wanted to go into town, if for nothing else than to inoculate herself back into society.

Jonathan had driven her into downtown London, and had parked his car near a local park. He walked with her a bit, eyeing fancy things in shop windows, joking about who might buy them, trying in every way possible to lighten her spirits even a bit.

It worked, every so often. Walking with him, clasping his outstretched arm, she grinned, and even giggled once at a joke of his. 

This brevity in the situation made Jonathan happier than he had ever been. He was at last getting through to her, it seemed.

Suddenly, while gazing in a window, he saw it. A beautiful silver armlet that was engraved with tiny, fluid handwriting in some odd language. He thought that it would look beautiful on her, and it would help to bring her happiness upwards.

Wanting to surprise her, he excused himself momentarily to go find a "loo." Evie sat down on a bench in the park, watching a few children run after a brightly colored ball. She smiled at their cuteness, remembering Alex when he was that age.

Whether it was by chance or by some divine design, she did not know, but at that exact moment, she happened to look to her left. She saw a few people talking, one with his back to her.

She felt the breath leave her as she inspected the man closer. From the back he looked...exactly...just like him...

The barriers that she had assembled around her shambled emotions came tumbling down. The tears fell from her eyes almost instantly – the spirit of him was everywhere...

She looked again...the man that he was talking to...could not be another apparition, could it? Her question was answered when a woman walking the opposite direction bumped into him, waved an apology, and walked off. The man nodded to her and went back to talking.

She thought that she had frozen right there – he was alive, he truly was!! This was no specter: he was talking to a real live person. No ghost could do that...

Brimming with happiness, she lifted herself off the bench and raced towards him, wanting to feel his arms wrap around her and never let go.

She reached him and touched his back, saying "Rick..." It came out as a sort of choked whisper, but its intent was unmistakable. He stiffened, straightening his back and turned around.

Her happiness and joy plummeted faster than anything imaginable. The man had the same haircut, the same clothes as him, but looked nothing like her beloved.

"Pardon me, m'lady, but what did you call me?" he asked politely.

She tried to speak, but it seemed as if everything living within her had died and no longer was. She tried to stammer out something, something with any semblance of human speaking, but she could not.

Somehow, she managed to carry herself back to Jonathan's car. It was luckily unlocked – she stumbled in and sat, breathing heavily, choking out sobs as she struggled for breath.

No...no...fate had stopped toying with her by means of a hallucination...and now, as it seemed that she had control over her mind...fate had begun to toy with her with an entirely new method.

She lay sideways in her seat, wracking cries emanating from within her chaotic soul. She wasn't really aware that time had passed until she felt Jonathan next to her.

"Evie...?" he said, panicked. She would not even look at him as she cried softly, calling out "Rick..." every so often.

Jonathan reached down and lifted her head up, cradling her dark curls in his lap.

"Shh, it's okay old mum...shh, I'm right here, don't worry..."

He didn't know what exactly had happened, but he could guess its obtained outcome.

He trembled, but not through sadness – sadness could not have mustered up the emotions he was feeling now. With bitter anger inside of him, Jonathan looked up and cursed whatever gods lay above and beyond the heavens – the love they had christened upon his sister was the means by which they continued to torment her.

They had her in their grasp, it seemed, for good or evil, and there was little that her brother seemed capable of doing. 

He now understood that he was to be faced with the task of dragging her back to reality, back to the life that she knew. He alone had the job of bringing her away from the torture that gripped her, painful as it might be to them both.

And at that moment, Jonathan Carnahan, for the first time in his life, began to truly doubt his ability to save and protect the one person he had sworn since his childhood to shield.


	5. That Which Is and Will Never Be

Chapter 5: That Which Is and Will Never Be

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Note: Hey everyone, this chapter has some religion in it, as it makes use of Egyptian Gods. Hope no one gets offended…:-|

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The orbs that traversed the Otherworld were directed down a long passage – the time had come. They were to appear before the gods.

None of the souls knew what was coming; they did not understand, but they complied simply because it was the only thing to do.

~{:*:}~

The blue ball of light sat still, waiting silently. It was pondering again...try as it might, it could not stop wondering about those people it had observed in the mirror. Being devoid of a true body, it was unable to sense any sort of emotional connection to them – but it knew there was something...

Suddenly, in a flash of blinding light, the orb found itself in a new part of the Otherworld, one it had never seen before. 

If it had been capable of gasping, the orb would have. Before it was something so pure, so brilliant, so powerful in its might that it would have shattered auras that gazed over it.

It was Amun-Ra. The god of all the gods.

Ra smiled down. 

"Hello, my child."

The orb sent its greetings back, and asked hesitatingly why it was here.

"Ahh yes – this is where those who have lived come. And yet, those who live and those who will live remain here in some way. This is the _everything_, that which is and will always be."

Ra glided over to the orb and lifted it up to his own level. He gazed down at his creation, sending waves of love and reassurance to it.

"You have returned home."

The orb slowly gazed upwards. For a moment, it simply stayed still – then, through its own small will, it asked a question.

"Hmm? You want to know who you once were? Yes, very well...you would have been reminded at some point, but we shall enlighten you now…"

The orb felt a flow of energy rush through it, all in one instant...

...and then it was over. It looked at itself – it now had a body. It stepped in front of a large mirror hanging in the Nothingness and looked at itself.

It saw a powerful, handsome man with brown hair streaked with blond. It moved the human appendages, accustoming itself to their feel. Questioningly, it turned back to its creator.

Ra nodded. "Yes, this was your body, back on Earth."

It asked another question.

"No, you don't remember your time spent on Earth. It was meant to be that way – the pain, the suffering should not cloud your thoughts here."

It looked back in the mirror, studying the features of the body it now possessed. But this wasn't enough – the absence of memories only caused confusion in its mind. It had to know, for its own sake.

It glanced back at Ra, eyes querying.

Ra's look grew concerned. "You want back your memories. But my son, that will only cause you pain and tremendous sorrow...You should not have to relive that."

It continued to look at Ra, pleading.

"I warn you, child: the anguish you will feel will be beyond belief – and once you have crossed that boundary, I will not be able to bring you back."

It didn't care – the curiosity caused pain now. It needed to know. It _must _know.

Ra sighed heavily. "Very well, my son...very well."

He glided over and placed his hand upon his child's head. There was another flash of light and...it all fell into place...

His name was Rick O'Connell. 

Those people...those...people...the woman and the boy...they were his...wife and son...his family...

Rick felt himself fall to the ground of the Otherworld, the wind wiped from his lungs. Oh God...they were his family...and he was...dead...gone from them...forever...

He let a small cry escape him. His tough exterior shattered faster than anything possible – he would never again see his beautiful wife...he would not get to witness his son growing up...oh God...no...

More cries escaped his mouth as the tears began to droop from his eyes.  No...no...

He felt Ra's presence above him, trying to comfort his wracked soul.

"I feared this, my son – I feared your pain, and now it is here."

Rick tried to lift himself up and failed; he fell to the ground again. Eyes pouring, he looked up.

"I...have...have to go...back...They...my family...needs me…and I...I…I need them...please, please..."

His face fell forwards again. He felt Ra's hand upon his shoulder.

"I know, my son. I know your desires."

Rick looked up quickly, daring to hope, daring to believe...

Ra sighed.

"But it is the one thing that cannot be done..."

Rick's spirits came crashing down. No...the answer was no...no…

Rick looked down through the Nothingness. Whether it was reality or a vision produced by his ailing mind, he did not know – but there she was: Evie, his darling, his reason for existing...and now, she...was...gone from him.....forever. 

_No_, he thought, _no...no..._

The despair hit him harder than before; it struck him down, refusing to let him escape from the realities of the truth.

_No..._

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Author's Note: Okay, sheesh, I know this chapter absolutely stinks, I'm so sorry. At least we're done with the whole "orb" thing, so hopefully it will all get better. Please, if you want to review this chapter, don't say mean things – I know how much it sucks, and I'm truly sorry...actually, forget that, if you want to tell me it sucks, go ahead, it will push me to do better. Once again, my deepest apologies.

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	6. The Hope of the Hopeless

Chapter 6: The Hope of the Hopeless

Evie sat in her father's old study, swaying gently as she rocked in his old rocking chair. Staring into space, she rocked and rocked, never very aware of her surroundings...she was oblivious to the fact that she had been in that same spot for hours, always thinking as the sun sank beneath the horizon.

She had vowed...she had _promised_...to move on, for both Jonathan's and Alex's sake...but, no matter how set in stone that promise was, no matter how _adamantly_ she swore to find a way to live without Rick...he was still everywhere...everywhere she looked...

... ... ... ... ... ...

Rick...

It hurt to say his name. It hurt to even think of his name. It hurt to remember his face, his smile, his warm, comforting presence. But...through all of that...

... ... ... ... ...

It hurt the most to think...to _understand_...that he was gone, and that she couldn't go with him...

They say that it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all – at this moment, Evie hated that statement beyond any anger she had ever felt in her entire life.

In some small corner of her soul, she did wish that she had never seen Rick O'Connell...that she had never met him in that horrible, disgusting prison...that she had never fallen in love with him...

She mentally shook herself. _What_ was she saying?!? Rick O'Connell had been the absolute greatest thing to ever grace her small existence on this Earth. There was no way for her to possibly express her feelings towards the only man she had ever loved like that – it was a feeling she and Rick had shared, the feeling that love had no bounds and that nothing less than the tongues of the angels could describe it.

She began to realize it was true – no matter how much that small part of her wished she had never met her husband (so that she would never have had to suffer through the torment of losing him), she saw how wonderful he had made her life, day by day.

He had given her his heart, his body, and his soul. He had loved her more than any of life's blessings (well, besides their son); he had been a good father to Alex, always there when his baby boy needed him; but most of all, he had been the one who had swept her away, the one who had shown her all of life's possibilities in one blinding whirl.

Tears began to fall from her face, landing on the soft fabric of her blouse. 

She missed him...terribly...She missed him more and more every day, more than anyone had been missed during the Earth's long years.

Gazing out the window with teary eyes, she glanced up at the fading sky. She wondered, constantly, where he was – was he up there, looking down upon her...? Was he feeling the anguish she was feeling...? Did he weep too for the loss of her...?

A small hiccupping cry escaped her mouth, shocking her back into reality. She realized how dark it had become in the study; she wanted to go to bed, but couldn't, being too wrapped up in her feelings.

She did not make another sound, but simply sat there, tears flowing constantly as she mourned the loss of her love.

~{:*:}~

"Evie?"

Jonathan did not know where his sister had gone to, but he had the urge to know. Since Rick's death, he had felt the need to know where both Alex and Evie were at any given moment. With Alex somewhat on the mend, however, Evie became his prime concern.

"Evie, where are you?"  
  


He walked up the stairs and looked through the door that led to what had once been his father's study. Creeping slowly, he thought he heard muffled sobs...and there she was...

Walking up next to her, he laid a hand on her trembling shoulder.

"Evie..."

She let out a small gasp and stiffened noticeably. Calming down, she turned to face her brother in the dark.

"Jonathan, you scared me half to death!"

He knelt down next to her chair and took her hand. Rubbing it slowly, he spoke softly to her.

"Evie, please tell me what you are doing here in the dark."

She sat silently for a moment; Jonathan had a suspicion to why she was here in this darkened room, but he needed to hear it from her mouth.

Quietly, she whispered, "Just thinking?"

"About him?"

Silence once again. He felt her hand tremble in his grasp slightly. He shook his head: his sister, the sister he had protected his entire life, was being made to go through hell against her will, and she did not deserve it.

"Evie..."

"No, Jonathan...don't say it..."

She turned her hand in his grasp just enough so she could squeeze his hand in reassurance.

She wanted to grieve, but knew she couldn't – she had endured enough; Alex shouldn't have been made to stand by through it all.

"It's time...to move on...I know I've said that once before, but the grief was still too near...to actually mean it..."

She paused before continuing.

"I can control it...I _will_ control it...it won't have a hold over me any longer."

With that, he felt her rise from her chair. Standing with her, he felt her arms wrap him in an embrace.

"Thank you, Jonathan...for everything you've done...You've been there for both Alex and me, and I'm grateful for it..."  
  


Stepping back from her brother, he felt her hand slip from his.

"I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

Softly, Jonathan replied, "Night, old mum."

He stood there in a state of disbelief – he hoped that Evie would be able to get pass the grief, but he alone knew that it would be a battle hard fought and paved with stones of anguish.

He hoped that she could move on – however, that did not change his perceptions: he wished that his beloved sister were not in a position where she _needed_ to move on.

~{:*:}~

Under the cover of her bed blankets, Evie thought about her last words to Jonathan. She had promised this time to master the grief, to control its evil energies.

The last thought she had before slumber took her was the hope that she would be able to fulfill that promise, no matter how much it pained her to do so.

~{:*:}~

Rick watched, painfully, as Evie sank into the bed..._their_ bed...

Being in the Otherworld gave him the ability to feel the earthly emotions put forth by others. And hers were just as clear, if not clearer, as any other.

She had wondered if he grieved for her...she had wondered if he wept for her the way she did for him...

Sadness pouring out of his body, Rick spoke out softly.

"Evie, if it's possible, I miss you more than you miss me – I'm here, I can see you and Alex and Jonathan and, for all the anguish I have, I can do nothing to protect you..."

Tears slowly escaped from his now closed eyelids.

"I'm sorry sweetheart...God, I'm so sorry I can't be there for you."

He opened his eyes and looked at her closely – wanting her to know that his sadness was just as deep as hers, he pushed himself to a decision.

"Evie, I love you, so much...I promise you, if at all it can be done, I will come back to you...I give you my word, sweetheart – I will find my way back to you..."

He sent his words to her, hoping that she would feel what he felt and take comfort from it.

~{:*:}~

Sound asleep, Evie felt herself entering the land of dreams. But this was like no other – she stood in darkness, only seeing herself in the expanse of nothingness.

She walked around a bit, but with no result – she couldn't sense anything else here. And then...

...she saw him, above, looking down on her...

Almost instantly, the pain hit her – she sank to the ground and bowed her head, wishing that she could be done with it all...wishing that the visions would leave her...

"Evie..."

She looked up at his face, so alive, and yet so full of pain and sadness.

"I will come back to you...I promise..."

She stared deeper into his beautiful eyes, willing him to be real, hoping that his words were the ordained truth of the heavens...

"Evie...I love you..."

She wanted to rush up to him, but she couldn't – the emotions running through her wouldn't let her move.

"Rick!!" she cried. "Rick...don't leave me..."

He smiled a comforting smile, one that appeared through his own layer of anguish.

"Rick..." she called.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"Rick..."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

~{:*:}~

She woke with a start in the middle of the night. She laid back, thoughts running through her head. She remembered the dream vividly, and recalled his...promise to her.

So much pain filtered through her body that she couldn't breathe. 

The heavens were torturing her again, sending her false images of him, spreading untrue rumors of hope.

She rolled onto her side and cried, making no sound except for the sound of her tears hitting her pillow.

...They were continuing to torment her...she would never see Rick again, and they were sending her hope that did not exist...the Rick that she had seen had only been one of their tricks...

Crying still, she closed her eyes, praying that the grief could somehow be broken through, and that the demons that plagued her soul would leave her hollow realm forever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Note: Well everybody, this is a pivotal chapter – by the time you read this, I will be considering my options for the end of this story.

I know many of you believe that this pure angst will overpower every other possibility, but to tell you the truth, I have not made up my mind on the ending yet. And while the next chapter won't be the last, it will be the turning point – you will see everyone's outcome next chapter. Hope the suspense isn't too painful – I'll post as quickly as I can, but I want to take my time and write the next part well. So, until we meet again...

Cheers!!

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	7. By the Light of Day

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Hey everyone – sorry it has taken so long, but here it is, finally!! Whew...once again, sorry – stuff has really piled up on me, but never mind that – on with the show!!

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Chapter 7: By the Light of Day

He sat there, his infinitely spanning thoughts reaching throughout all reaches of space and time. 

His reflections drew back upon himself – he would find no rest, no peace, this night. His thought were too preoccupied with the dilemma facing him...they would not refrain from using his mind.

He knew what faced his son...he knew the feelings that the boy had for his wife...and he knew the feelings that she had for him...after all, he had created them both – he knew everything about them...

He had always promised to himself that he would not bend on the rules he had so strictly created – he would not erase the regulations that the universe held on its inhabitants...

...and yet, despite all of his misgivings, he could not shake the feelings that plagued his heart.

He watched them, both grieving for the loss of the other, both suffering and wilting away a little more each passing day. And, as his watched the anguish race through his children, he wanted in some small way to wilt himself.

He couldn't break what he had set into stone – he couldn't send his children back, back into the realm of conscious reality, away from the paradise that he had brought them into.

He wanted to; he very much wanted to bring those destined back together. But he knew that, for all the compassion he felt for his children, it could not be done...

...it _would_ not be done, no matter the price...

~{:*:}~

Rick O'Connell had never been more desperate. Desperate to get back to his home...desperate for his family...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ..._desperate to get back to her_... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...__

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

He didn't know what to do – every passing moment led to more confusion and more desperation to return to what he once knew.

Rick O'Connell, for the first time in his recent memory, couldn't do anything. He...he had battled Medjai, he had taken on a 3000 year old corpse...

...but now, for all the tries he made at quelling his feelings, he was at a loss. He could do nothing...

..._absolutely nothing_...

The tears welled in his eyes – he shook his head. Battle hardened Rick O'Connell couldn't stop the pain, the fear from consuming him...

...she was everywhere, begging him, pleading with him to come back...

...and he couldn't do it...there was nowhere for him to go...

...this spiral downwards hurt him constantly...and for one moment, he realized that if he hadn't already been...dead...

...the pain of losing Evie would have killed him...but, as he thought about it, anguish racing through his body...he didn't know if it was possible to die twice, from both the inside and the outside...

...he had already died on the outside, and now...he felt closer to death on the inside than ever before...

...he wasn't sure how to live in paradise when she wasn't there...it wasn't paradise without her...

Crying softly, he sunk to the ground. Nothing he thought of could calm him...

...life in reality was over for him – and now, in the spanning realm of the Otherworld...

...life for him was beginning to end again...

~{:*:}~

Life in merry old England had returned to normal, if somewhat tense, conditions. Evie had been able to get up and function in her daily life: she had resumed her work at the museum, burying herself in as much as was possible.

At home, Evie, Jonathan, and Alex lived well enough – however, relationships between them all had become strained. None knew how exactly to deal with normal conversation anymore. They talked plenty, to be sure, but they all skirted anything having to do with Rick.

The hardest to endure of these trials occurred daily between Evie and her son. She loved her son, more than she could possible describe. But every time she looked at him, she saw her husband. She saw his face, his hair, his eyes, and his mannerisms all drilling straight into her heart. As it was, her relationship with Alex had suffered tremendously.

She hated herself for it. She hated the fact that she could not enjoy the simple pleasures that her son brought to the world without remembering Rick. She did not want it to continue..._God knew she didn't want that, didn't want it with every fiber of her being_...but, in the end, she found herself unable to deal with memories past and gone.

She often wondered if a talk with Alex would quell these emotions – if, by some fortunate chance, by sharing her emotions with her son and relishing in his, they would be able to heal together. However, every time this entered her mind, some part of her, convinced that she was being weak, screamed to her that the time for grief was long since gone. Time to move on – even though that time had passed so strangely, causing every instant of it to seem destined to well up in eternity.

If anyone was the strong one, it was Jonathan – and, if Jonathan was the strong one, it was only because he _had _to be. He despised having to be in this position – not for himself, but for his sister and nephew. For the life of him, he could not understand why existence had unfolded the way it had. Why had those who controlled the workings of the universe brought such horrible punishment upon those that least deserved it...?

Why did things have to be so unfair when clearly they weren't destined to be so...?

Still, through all of his reveries on the unjustness of those above, Jonathan found himself day-by-day given the task of bringing the two remaining members of his family along, towards the future. 

It hurt him to do so. Part of him knew that bringing Evie and Alex forward, away from the pain, away from the deadening feeling that day at Ahm-Shere had brought, was the absolute thing to do. But the other part of him...?

That other part believed (with every instrument of believing that it possessed) that pulling his sister and nephew back from the wonderful life they had once known would damage them; it would scar them for the rest of their days.

He didn't want them to forget what they had once had, but he knew that it was of the greatest necessity. Two grossly different ideals played out in the corners of Jonathan's mind, forcing him every day to compromise and come up with his solution.

He hated it. He hated that he had to make these kinds of decisions. He hated the feeling that, no matter how hard he tried, his incessant pulling would bring those he loved to ruin.

~{:*:}~

"Come in, my son."

The deep, tranquil voice sounded from the nothingness, bringing swirling form and life to where there once was none.

Rick stood hesitantly, not knowing exactly what to do. Whatever news or information Ra held, Rick was not sure if he wanted to hear it. There could be nothing done with it anyway, even if, by off chance, it were good news.

He stepped forward, slowly, trying to reassure himself every passing moment. Gradually, he moved in front of Ra, who was turned away from him, staring out into the depths of the Otherworld. Nothing – the Nothing was everywhere and nowhere, expanding into itself all at once.

"You...you called for me...?" Rick asked tentatively.

Ra did not turn to face Rick – he didn't even raise his head; he made no response whatsoever. Rick moved forward again, and made to speak when Ra silenced him.

"Hmm...I think you know why I asked for you, my son."

In all honesty, Rick had no clue why he had been summoned. He had been so wrapped in his surmounted grief that he had failed to notice much of anything recently...he had no clue anymore...

"I...uh, I...I don't..."

This time, Ra turned around to gaze at Rick. Those eyes..._those eyes_, he thought..._they can pierce anything_..._even my heart_...

Ra stepped forward, neutrality placed squarely on his fatherly face. Emotion couldn't peek out through that tough exterior...blankness ran across his features.

"I told you once that I know what you desire. And I also told you that, no matter how much it may be desired, it cannot be granted."

The pain rose instantly in Rick's chest. Why had he bothered to say _that_? Surely, he didn't intend to increase Rick's level of anguish...Why...What was his purpose...?

The sigh that escaped from Ra's insides echoed throughout the universe. Great weight seemed to be resting on his shoulders – a decision was in his mind, but for whatever reason, it wouldn't be brought forward with ease.

"You see, my son, the thing is...I know human emotion..._I created it_...and, because I created it, long ago I decided to share in it. And now, I feel it...truly feel it..."

He paused and turned away from Rick, once again looking out into space. The words slowly came back to him.

"I never intended for this to happen...but it is happening, whether I wish it or not..."

He turned again and walked up to Rick. Silently, he placed his hand on Rick's head, waiting for a moment before continuing.

"I've decided...that what you ask for...shall be granted..."

Rick started, not believing that he had just heard those words. He looked up at Ra, disbelief resonating from his eyes.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ..._shall be granted_... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Ra smiled at Rick.

"Yes, my son, it is true. You shall return to what you once knew...but..."

Rick barely heard the "_but_" – when it finally registered, he stiffened, waiting for the catch that was inevitably going to come.

"...but I cannot help you when you get there. I will have already spent too much in sending you back – you will have to find your own way...I shall empower you to do so, but the task shall remain only for you..."

Rick felt the tension in his chest crack a little. The difficulty in getting back would probably be enormous...but that seemed pale in comparison...it didn't seem to matter anymore...

...he was going back...back to them...back to _her_...

And at that moment, the happiness that swelled within him overpowered anything else that he could possibly feel...

...he was going back...

~{:*:}~

Jonathan was out on the front drive, fiddling with the engine in his car. Sunshine poured everywhere – it was a perfect spring day in London. He whistled happily as he grabbed a wrench and began to work with the insides of his car.

~{:*:}~  
  


_He...remembered...a giant flash...and then..._

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..._nothing_... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Nothing. He didn't know where he was, and it frightened him. An infuriatingly large amount of light pounded at his closed eyelids. Slowly, so very slowly, his eyes creaked open...

He saw the pretty blueness of the sky above him – it was something he had missed during his stay in the Otherworld...

_The Otherworld...that's right...that's where I was..._

He rolled over onto his side and forced his eyelids to completely open. He tried to sit up; consequently, a wave of wooziness fell over him as he collapsed back to the ground. 

Slowly, he sat up again, fighting off the nausea that attacked his insides. When he was finally able to see straight again, he realized where he was.

He was home.

There was his house…_their_ house; the one that they had shared...it was all here, just as he had remembered it.

He heard a distant, cheery tune being whistled from the front of the house. Rick grinned broadly as he recognized his brother-in-law's whistles. 

Picking himself up off the ground, he dashed to the front of the house.

~{:*:}~

Jonathan pulled free a damaged piece of tubing from the hood of his car. He frowned – he was going to have to replace it, and those thugs downtown at the mechanic shop _always_ messed with his car.

He felt a tap on his shoulder. Without lifting his head from the insides of his car, he chuckled.

"Is that you, Roger? About bloody time, I've been waiting for those plugs for nearly two hours now..."

"Jonathan?"

He froze. That voice..._that voice_...he knew it...he knew it, and yet...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ...it _couldn't _be... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Body still unresponsive, Jonathan gulped. Ever so slowly, the brought his head out from under the hood and turned around.

And there he was.

Rick smiled at a still gaping Jonathan. Hesitatingly, Jonathan peered up at the specter before him.

"Rick...? Is it......is it really you?"

Rick continued to smile as he nodded. Without reservation, he pulled Jonathan into a bear hug.

Jonathan stood perfectly still, beginning to realize that this was no ghost, no haunting vision...

_He was real_.

Jonathan pulled back to once again look at Rick's face. Nothing, not one thing, had changed. He still held the same look, the same smile, the same swaggering demeanor that he always had.

Jonathan's face slowly grew into a smile – finally, a full-blown grin appeared. He let out an astonished cry as he hugged Rick again.

"Rick!!!!! You're alive, man, alive!! I can't believe it!!"

After a while, he pulled back, smile splitting his face.

"Good to see you again, old chap."

Rick smiled. "It's good to be back."

Rick's smile faded a little as he looked back at the house. He wondered...how she would be...how she would react to his return...

Jonathan followed his gaze and looked back at the house. Realizing what was running through Rick's mind, he patted his brother-in-law on the shoulder.

"Go on, my good son. She'll be positively thrilled to see you."

Rick gulped and, after having prepared himself, slowly went up to the front door – he shook his shoulders and walked inside.

Jonathan smiled, happiness literally pouring from every facet of his being. His wish had come true...

... ... ... ..._he was back_... ... ... ... ... ...

~{:*:}~

Rick quietly closed the front door behind him, stepping forward into the drawing room. He looked around, familiarizing himself once again with that which he was once so familiar...

"Jonathan, is that you?"

He stopped cold. It was her. That voice, that voice that he had come to adore...it hadn't changed a bit.

And then, before he had time to even think, there she was. She had walked in from the dining room, staring intently into the book held in her grasp. As she walked in, she looked up, expected to see her brother...

...And halted dead in her tracks. Her mouth fell open as her eyes became a little glazed over. The book fell from her hand, landing with a hard crash, but she didn't seem to notice. All of her focus was on the image in front of her…

...Rick...it was him...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ..._it was him_... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ..._no_... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

The pain inside her increased, as did the anger. She was being played for a fool again. The gods had sent another apparition into her life. And this time, she would not fall for it. She would not fall to that which was not real.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..._no_... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"...no..." she whispered.

Rick frowned. What did she say? Did she say..._no_...? What did that mean...?

He moved a step forward, eyes questioning.

Before he could say anything, Evie screamed loudly, freezing him where he stood.

"GET OUT!!" she yelled, tears falling from her beautiful hazel eyes.

Tears began to well up in his eyes as well. What was going on...?

"Evie...?"

"LEAVE ME IN PEACE!!" she screamed as she ran upstairs. Rick heard a door upstairs slam shut, the lock clicking into place.

He stood there, not knowing exactly what to do. What...? Why...?

Did Evie not love him anymore? If she didn't, he knew that all the blame lay at his feet – he hadn't been there for her, or for his son, when needed most...

But...but...how could that mean...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ...Why didn't she love him anymore? ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

The gathered tears in his eyes began to fall silently to the floor. No...he had been given something special, another chance at a life he wanted desperately...and now...

...it was all for naught...

Slowly, he opened the front door and walked out, quietly closing it behind him.

~{:*:}~

Jonathan saw Rick come back outside, but the expression on his face was nothing close to happy. Rick was crying. Crying...

...If something could make Rick O'Connell cry, it was serious. Very serious.

By the time Jonathan had exited his train of thought, he noticed that Rick was already way up the street, heading into downtown. Jonathan called after him.

"Rick!!" he cried. "RICK!!!"

It was no use. Rick was already out of sight.

Sighing to himself, Jonathan marched up the steps on the front porch and opened the door. By Jove, he was going to find out what had happened.

He was going to find his sister.

~{:*:}~

"Evie?"

He stood outside her door, begging her to let him in. He had to know what was going on – the moment that should have been the happiest in all their lives had quickly unraveled, and he was going to discover why.

"Evie, let me in. Please Evie..."

His surprise heightened as he heard the lock click and saw the door open. There stood his sister, sobbing softly, her mascara smeared through its constant exposure to her tears.

He reacted quickly as she practically fell into his arms. Still crying softly, she spoke to him.

"Jonathan, they won't leave me..."

He looked down at her, confusion registering on his face.

"Who won't leave you, love?"

"Those...things...that look like Rick...I can't get them to leave my head..."

_Oh my God_, thought Jonathan. No, no...no, how could this have happened? No...no...

"Evie," he said, holding her back from his body, "that...what you saw...was real..."

She sighed heavily.

"Jonathan, you don't even know what I saw..."

He quickly cut her off before she could continue.

"Evie!! It was Rick! He was real!! I hugged him, and he was real!! He told me that he had come back...!"

She looked up at her brother, fear showing in her eyes. _No, _she thought, _oh God, no_. 

She had been granted her greatest wish...her prayers had been answered...and now, she had thrown that all away...

For just a moment, the pain was too intense for her to even breathe. Then, she steadied herself. No...the time for sadness was gone...he had come back to her...

...and now she had to bring her life back together...

Moving swiftly, Evie passed through her bedroom door and began to walk down the stairs. Jonathan ran to the edge of the banister and looked down at his sister.

"Where are you going, old mum?"

She looked up at him, a mixture of emotions playing out on her face: happiness, anguish, hopelessness, resolution, and determination.

"I'm going to find my husband."

With that, she hustled out the front door. Jonathan sighed and tore after her.

She was going to bring their life back together...and he would be there for her when it happened.

  
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A/N: That got a little rushed at the end, but what do you think? This is the first chapter I'm somewhat semi happy with. Review if you like, I'd love to know what you all are thinking.

Sk8ergirl: I used your "if he wasn't already dead, the pain would kill him" quote from one of your reviews. Hope you don't mind – it was just so perfect!!

~Cheers!!~

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	8. From You

Chapter 8: From You

The rain fell, splashing on the sidewalk, lightning flashing for just an instant before the tremendous roar of the thunder followed. The gloominess seemed to flow everywhere – it seeped through the buildings, around the cars, everywhere; its presence could not be escaped by anyone.

But for one particular man, the tremendous weight of the dreariness fell on his shoulders in greater amounts than any one had known throughout the history of time.

Once upon a time, not so long ago, Rick O'Connell had sworn that he had felt the worse pain imaginable – in his heart of hearts, he truly believed that nothing worse could possibly be endured.

But then he had come back...back to his life, back to everything he knew...and the anguish inside of him had increased so greatly that it was a constant struggle to remain alive.

She didn't love him anymore. He had come back to her, but that didn't seem to matter – another pang of anguish had been added to his long string of pain.

He kept walking, through the rain, brushing past people he didn't even see as they passed by. Tiny splashes crept out as his boots hit puddles of standing water.

It was hard enough that he had to go through wave after wave of emotion with every passing second – but...what made it harder to bear was...

…everywhere he looked, he saw love...and it seemed that he was no longer allowed to be a part of it...

He saw it on the rain-drenched sidewalks as men held their women up in the air, the sound of thunder penetrated by laughing and unblocked happiness.

He saw it in restaurants that he passed. He saw it in the eyes of lovers as they gazed across at each other, in their hands that clasped at one another.

Tears began to fall from his eyes, mixing with the rain in one combined outpour. It wasn't fair...at all...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

He began to understand what Ra had meant when he had said that the way would not be easy to find.

Shuffling forward, occasionally mumbling apologies for collisions with other pedestrians, Rick O'Connell knew that he had NOT found the way; indeed, the way had completely escaped him.

And, in the end, he didn't know if he had to will to find it again.

He didn't even know if the way existed any longer.

~{:*:}~

She had started running, hoping to close the distance with her target, but now, she had slowed to a walk, exhaustion and despair taking over her mind.

Evelyn O'Connell was not a woman of weak will – if there was something that she desired, it would not remain outside her grasp for long.

But now, her iron will was beginning to crack. She felt it, deep down insider her – he control was starting to falter.

She continued to walk along the slick concrete, peering in every direction, hoping to catch some glimpse of him...anything of him...

But after nearly half an hour, she fell backwards on to a bench, breathing ragged and tears forming in her eyes.

Hopeless – it was all hopeless...

Maybe this is what she deserved...Maybe, just maybe...she had been so foolish in turning away from her returned love...

...maybe this was exactly what she deserved. 

Maybe her folly had doomed her chances to be with him again…maybe she didn't truly deserve to be with him, after being so stupid as to not recognize him when he had returned.

The pain overtook her as she huddled closer to herself, paying no attention to the rain beating down upon her face.

She was alone, so alone, with no one there to comfort away the anguish that ebbed through her heart. Until...

"Evie?"

She turned and saw a man standing there, next to the dripping bench. She leaned forward, trying to discover who he was, and then...

...she saw. It was Jonathan. He brother had followed her here.

He quickly sat down and held his sister closer to him, trying to bring some warmth into the darkness of her pained soul.

"Evie, dear, what...did you...?"

She cried harder, balancing her head against his shoulder as the wracking sobs were choked out.

"Oh God, Jonathan...what...what have I done??"

She cried, tears flowing, falling into puddles of rain, no longer able to be distinguished. 

Once upon a time, not so long ago, Evelyn O'Connell had sworn that she had felt the worse pain imaginable – in her heart of hearts, she truly believed that nothing worse could possibly be endured.

But then...he had come back into her life. It was her greatest wish, finally granted. And she, being the fool she was, had believed it to be something else, something with sinister intentions.

And now, life had taken a new meaning, one that she didn't know if she could handle.

Gently, Jonathan helped to raise her up, doing his best to cover the rain that fell on her with his jacket.

"Come on old mum, let's get you home."

She held on to him, letting him guide her back. She didn't want to – she didn't want to believe that she had completely failed in her quest.

But, at that very moment, it appeared as though she had.

~{:*:}~

They walked silently – or rather, it should be said that _he_ walked and had to steer her along. He saw her pain, not the same as before, but a completely new kind.

He believed, however, that through it all, there was hope this time. It had blossomed where there had once been none, and, for all of his being, it was all Jonathan could do to believe that this time, the story would end happily.

He wanted to believe it, believe it with all of his will.

~{:*:}~

Evie vaguely felt her brother's tug on her arm, but she couldn't comprehend much of anything else.

She had promised herself, when she had learned that Rick had really come back, that the time for sadness was over. But now, she realized that she had just been fooling herself.

There was no possible way to describe the sadness that now raced through her. It was beyond anything that she had ever felt.

She lifted her head briefly to see where they were. She recognized the drive leading towards their manor...and to her left was the little knoll, a perfect spot near the lake – perfect, indeed, because that had been where Rick had asked her to marry him.

That night had been so perfect – she could still see it vividly in her mind's eye. 

And now, he was gone...Not truly _gone_, but gone enough to bring her to tears.

She started to cry again when she noticed it. There was something different about the little knoll...something about it had changed, as if its shape had been transformed.

And then she realized what was different. Through her tear-welled eyes, she hadn't been able to discern it, but now she could...

...Someone was standing there, shoulders hunched forward, large frame shaking slightly...

She let out a small gasp, causing her brother to look down at her with concern.

"Evie...?"

She didn't answer him, but instead loosened herself from his grasp. She started to walk towards the knoll, but quickly broke into a run, leaving a bewildered Jonathan in her wake.

She came up behind the figure, feeling, _knowing_ who it was. She reached forward, gently touched a shoulder.

"Rick..." she said softly, desperation literally pouring from her voice.

The frame stiffened and, with horrible slowness, turned around.

It was him. It was her darling. Here, again.

She felt more tears come from her eyes – she couldn't believe that he was here again, back from whatever afterlife he had experienced. Moreover, she couldn't possibly comprehend the fact that he was _here_, and that she had a chance to bring him back.

His soft blue eyes seemed to glow, boring straight into her hazel ones. For a moment, nothing was said – not even emotion transcended their gazes. They stood there, until...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 

She reached up, softly touched his face. Yes...he was real...this was no ghost, no demon come back to prey upon her tortured soul...

He brought up his own hand, brought it to hold hers against his face. With his other hand, he gently caressed her soft cheek.

Without any words being spoken, they threw themselves into each other's arms, both Rick and Evie clinging to the other desperately. In that moment, the love they had once shared, the love they both knew so well, came flooding back.

Tears flowed freely from both sets of eyes. Neither one was able to soothe the other – they both clung to each other as if the world would end if they let go.

"Rick...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..." she whispered into his chest.

He brought her closer to him, holding her, letting his love flow through her.

"Shh...sweetheart, I'm sorry, too..."

She looked up, tears running down her face, a mixture of extreme happiness and sadness for a lost past showing clearly on her face. She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him. It was gentle, and he returned it – their intense love for each other ran through them, coursing in waves so powerful that they held each other even more tightly.

Finally, they broke the kiss, both gasping for air. 

Smiles crept back into their faces as they hugged each other again, fiercely. More tears of happiness fell from their eyes as continual mumblings of "I love you" were murmured.

To both Evie and Rick, time stood still on that spot where, once again, they were united together.

~{:*:}~

Jonathan stood off in the distance, watching the two figures embracing on the knoll. He smiled as a single tear fell to the ground.

Everything was once again as it should be. Happiness had returned, it seemed, and life had appeared to be complete once again.

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A/N: Little rushed at the end, but not bad. All of you who wanted happy things got your wish!!

This isn't the end, I've got a little bit more planned – I won't keep you guys waiting long.

Cheers!!

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	9. Back Where I Belong

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A/N: Okay, so I lied – I did keep you waiting. Anyway, hope you enjoy; thanks to all my reviewers, I will thank you in a more proper way when this story has ended.

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Chapter 9: Back Where I Belong

None knew how they had exactly gotten home – Jonathan, brimming with the utmost happiness, had led the way, practically skipping towards their manor. 

Behind him, Rick and Evie walked, slower, both with their arms around one another. The rain had long ago stopped, and now, that fresh scent, one of renewal, one of new beginnings, was in the air.

Evie's mascara, which had not at all be affected by the pounding rain, was now blotched beneath her eyes, constantly being washed away by the tears that fell.

They were tears of happiness, tears of the purest joy.

She smiled, tears streaming, her hold on her husband tightening. This...this moment......could not have been any more perfect, any more gratifying.

He had come back to her...She had come back to him...And once again, everything in the world was right again.

Rick had tears running down his face as well. Whatever emotions ran through his beautiful wife, he felt too.....The bond that had always connected them was now stronger than ever, and the feelings that ran through it washed over husband and wife together.

His happiness reached such high amounts that he lifted his wife off of the ground and began to carry her in his arms.

She smiled as she leaned forward – they kissed each other, sweetly, before she placed her head in the crook of his shoulder, swaying gently in his carried embrace.

Life had finally returned, and suddenly, to the both of them, eternity didn't seem long enough.

~{:*:}~

Upon arriving inside, Jonathan quickly excused himself – he was so incredibly happy at having his brother-in-law back with them, but he was sure that, right now, Evie needed his presence more than he did.

She dropped her coat on a chair, something that usually would have been shocking for the impeccable Evelyn. But now, that didn't matter to her.

What mattered to her was the fact that her husband was there, standing not 2 feet from her, flashing his goofy, adorable little smile...he was so very alive, something she had wished for during so many long days and nights...

Slowly, almost shyly, she walked up closer to him, beginning to feel his presence again, to feel the force of life that swirled around him. 

He gradually came towards her as well, that same bashfulness dancing over his handsome features. He hand his hands dangling loosely at his side, as if he didn't know what else to do.

Finally, they reached each other – for just a moment, they stood still, drinking in the sight of one another.

Rick slowly brought his hand up and caressed the side of her cheek; she put her hand over his, as if that simple gesture could quell all the fears that ran through her.

She looked up at him, gazed into his starry blue eyes, tears beginning to form in her own.

"I thought I had...lost you..." she whispered, barely audible.

His grin faded away slightly.

"I thought I had lost you, too."

He brought his hand, along with hers, away from her cheek, placing it in a hold against his heart. She felt its steady beat under her hand...

..._*thump*_... ...

...*_thump*_... ...

So very alive. And here with her again.

"But that doesn't matter anymore, sweetheart. We're here, together again."

He slowly wrapped her in an embrace, trying to be gentle and yet, at the same time, seeming to try to envelope her into himself.

Evie closed her eyes, allowed herself to become pulled into him. She felt immense comfort in his large frame, in the way that it completely covered her.

"Don't...don't..." she began to stammer out through her tears. "Don't...ever...leave me...please, I don't think...I could stand it..."

He brought her away from himself slightly, and looked directly into her eyes. Grim determination set into his face.

"I promise you, Evie. Never again; I will always be here by your side...I promise, sweetheart..."

With that, he held her close to him again, slowly rubbing her back as small cries escaped her.

"I love you Evie...now, and forever..."

She brought her arms up to rest around his shoulders. She looked at him, then kissed him, deeply but gently, emotion pouring between the two twin souls. She pulled back, her hazel gaze directed into his blue one.

"And I love you, my darling...now, and forever..."

They kissed each other again, letting the feelings of mutually stored anguish filter from their bodies.

And in that moment, both knew that their words had been true. That love would always keep them together – it would not allow them to be separated from what they both knew...

..._now, and forever_...

~{:*:}~

Evie guided him up the stairs, watchful as he reacquainted himself with what he had once known.

They were about to enter into the bedroom, the one they had always shared, when...

He looked down the hall, peering at the open doorway that stood at the end of it. He knew it, knew it because his memories had told him what lay there.

...It was Alex's bedroom...

Slowly, Rick walked over to the door, a curious Evie right behind him. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, but eventually he did.

He saw his son there, planted firmly in his bed, a gentle snoring escaping the seemingly small body.

Tears began to well up once again in Rick's eyes as he watched the sleeping figure of his son.

He had known the emotions that had flooded through his son after the events that had tormented them at Ahm-Shere. He knew about Alex's fear of his inability to save his father. He knew what that had done to his son...

He felt Evie's small hand enter his own, squeezing gently.

"Come darling, let's go to bed. You'll see Alex in the morning – we can explain everything then...although I'm not exactly sure myself as to what I will say...I don't know the full story."

Rick smiled slightly. 

"I'll tell you later."

He gently lifted his wife back into his arms and headed for the bedroom.

He..._they_ would explain everything to Alex in the morning, just as best they could.

That was all there was to do – Rick only hoped that it would be enough to bring his son back from the depths, back from the darkness that he had had to endure for so very long.


	10. Time Will Change Your Heart

Chapter 10: Time Will Change Your Heart

Light seemed to pound at his closed eyelids, the purest form of luminescence floating through everything. He didn't know where he was, but he did know that wherever it was, he didn't want to leave.

_Is this heaven?_ he thought.

Slowly, ever so slowly, his eyes cracked open, wincing slightly at the blinding whiteness come at him. He tried to bring his left arm up, so as to rub his eyes, but found it to be trapped under something.

He instead lifted his right hand, rubbed away the sleep that lingered in his eyes, and looked over to see what was pinning his arm.

What it was nearly took his breath away.

It was Evie.

She was lying there, snug against his side, arms wrapped around him. A single lock of her soft, dark curls lay on her face – her breathing was soft and easy, predictable from one who lay in an untroubled sleep.

He looked down at her face, realization dawning on him like the morning sun.

This wasn't heaven.

But it was as close to it as he would ever experience on Earth.

He leaned over and gently kissed her forehead. He didn't want to wake her; instead, he wrapped his left arm around her and brought her closer.

This was pure joy – nothing could ever surpass the happiness that flooded through his heart.

He looked down at the sleeping figure lying in his embrace.

He never told her (or anyone, for that matter) this, but he loved watching her sleep. Her beautiful face so relaxed, so untroubled...she was so at peace, and that instantly calmed whatever fears he had in his heart. 

He looked back out the window, his eyes now adjusted to handle the sunlight pouring into their bedroom. It was a beautiful day – the sun was slowly rising, casting a million sparkles on the water of the lake behind their house, lending light to places where only darkness reigned.

He felt her stir slightly next to him...He watched as her gorgeous hazel eyes cracked open, then blinked softly a few times, her long lashes brushing her soft skin.

And then, she turned her eyes towards him. Her breathing seemed to grow heavier, and slightly faster. Her grip on him tightened as she tried to squeeze even closer to his muscular body. He could see unused tears begin to sparkle in her eyes.

Softly, she spoke.

"I...I thought that it was all a dream.....You coming back...I thought that it didn't really happen..."

The tears rolled slowly from her eyes, their soft trails left on her face. Rick, close to tears himself, reached down to her and wiped away the tears with his thumb.

In the blink of an eye, she reached up and held his hand to her face. It was as if she let go, he would disappear, back into shadow.

She let herself be hugged by him; she rested her head on his chest, her arms still wrapped around him, tears continuing to fall on his skin.

"I'm so happy you're back..."

If possible, her embrace upon him tightened.

"I'm never letting you go..."

Those words let loose the tears in his eyes. To think that she loved him enough to be so protective of him caused him such happiness that his insides hurt.

He still blamed himself for not being there when she needed him most. He didn't think that he would ever forgive himself for that...

...But now, it didn't seem to matter. They were back together, two halves to the whole again. And, slowly, the chasm that had breached by their sudden separation was beginning to heal.

Their love for each other was bringing them back to what they once knew. 

He could feel her shaking slightly – he felt like doing the same, but now, he was determined to make up for his absence...He would be there to comfort her every fear, no matter where she may be.

"I'm here sweetheart, always. I'll never leave your side again."

More tears ran down his face, just as they did on her's. 

He meant; he meant _every syllable_. There was nothing, absolutely _nothing_ that would ever take him from her again. He knew it, felt it deep within himself.

She looked up at, eyes tearstained.

"Promise...?" she asked, her sweet voice dripping with anguish.

It hurt him inside to hear her in pain like that...but he pushed through it, through the pain that still lay with him. He nodded, blinking back his own tears.

She leaned up, her hold on his torso never lessening. She brought herself even closer to him, and kissed him.

Their emotions poured through one another, racing through their combined souls at an insurmountable pace.

Their love for one another placed this kind of connection between them – they could share their entire beings as only twin souls can. 

Their time for healing had come – neither knew how long the process would last, but neither truly cared...as long as they each had the other by their side.

~{:*:}~

For Evie, it was incredibly difficult for her to understand the emotions running through...She didn't think that she could possibly describe them, should anyone be so inclined to ask.

The greatest one present, though, was fear – she could definitely feel that.

It was indescribable...to have him here, in her arms again, safe only because she would let _nothing_ happen to him...

...And yet, through all that, the ever-black shroud of fear was descendant upon her. She could feel it, constantly, like a deathly cloud, always threatening to choke the life out of her.

She didn't understand why it was there – by all indications, it _shouldn't _be there. She had her husband here, next to her again...her son and her brother were safe...everything was just as it should be...

And yet, there was this incessant tingling in her heart, a warning that everything _wasn't_ just as it should be...

She had truly had a dream, the first night they had spent together again. She had seen him lying on a pillar, deathly pale and unmoving. Slowly, she had walked over to him and laid a hand on his cheek...

...Before her eyes, he had disappeared, his eyes just beginning to open. Then, as he had come into full consciousness, he fell away, back into darkness, screaming her name and reaching for her.

She tried and tried to reach back for him, tears falling from her eyes, his name being cried from deep within her. But it was all to no avail...He fell further and further away, eventually falling out of sight.

She had slumped to the ground, familiar anguish tearing at her heart.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

And then she had awoke, her face damp from tears spilt, her breathing heavy.

Quickly, she had looked over to her right...

...And he was there, breathing softly, his hand interlocked with hers. The anguish in her heart quickly morphed into what is known as "happy sadness." She cried again, cried for the fact that the pain she had experienced had been remedied, cried because now, she was whole again.

Scooting closer to him, she tried to wrap him with her arms, desperate to act as though she were one with him. Now that he was back, she couldn't get enough of him – of feeling him in her arms, of seeing his face, of hearing his voice...

And now, suddenly, she began to realize where the fear was coming from.

...No one but her husband would ever truly understand what being ripped from the other half of her soul was like. It had left scars deep within her; scars that she wasn't sure could ever be healed.

*       *      *

Now, the fear had subsided a little. She lay here, basking in the morning sunlight, sharing an embrace with her husband.

Looking back up at him, she began to realize just how much she loved this man. She couldn't describe it, not in the words of men, anyway...

...Come to think of it, she wasn't sure if the tongue of the angels would be adequate enough to describe the feelings they shared for each other. It was that powerful, that all-encompassing...something that envelops an individual into itself and never lets go...

But, as she saw it, the greatest fact was that this love had brought them back to one another...It had been a prayer answered, a bridge to cross the canyon of loneliness and despair that had, once upon a time, run through them both.

And now, as they lay there, comfortable as they held each other...

...Everything seemed to be right once again.

Silently, Evie thanked whatever spirit lay above her. To be sure, she had thrown many curses at it since that day at Ahm-Shere. But now, it seemed that she had a lot to be thankful for...

She knew it, knew that she was grateful for it all. If she said a prayer of thanks every single day for the rest of her life, it would not be nearly enough gratitude for what had been returned to her.

But for now, she resolved to remain in his arms, thankful every single second that they had come back to each other.

And now, as life had returned to its normalcy, she vowed to spend every day showing her thankfulness, no matter what.

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A/N: Okay, this chapter is pretty pointless – it doesn't advance the story WHATSOEVER, it just lollygags around. It was meant, however, to cure me of some writer's block (after all, I haven't posted for this story in like a month – many sincere apologies – so I guess it served its purpose to get me back in the swing of things).

I think the next chapter will be the last; maybe an epilogue after that. I just think that I'm losing the ability to evoke emotion with this story. Believe me, it's been a lot of fun, but fun things can't go on forever...

Oh well, no sense thinking about that now. I shall see you all next chapter (which should be A LOT sooner, now that school's done). 

Please review if you have a moment – I love hearing you guys; you're like family to me!

Adieu!

*Bachy A*

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	11. All I Know & Everything I Am

Chapter 11: All I Know & Everything I Am

Alex woke early, which was strange, considering it was a Saturday morning. Even though he was only a young boy, Alex was different than those his age, prone to waking later.

But this morning, something was different – he could feel it in the breeze that blew through his cracked-open window; he could feel it in the atmosphere around him.

_Something was different_, indeed.

He yawned slightly, rubbing balled fists over his eyes as the morning sun streamed into his room.

Slowly, he rolled over to the edge of his bed and lowered his body to the floor, stretching slightly as he went.    

He heard voices, quiet, whispering somewhere in the recesses of the house. Somehow, he could make out the feminine voice that belonged to his mother...and, a male one...At first, he thought it might belong to his uncle, but as he listened closer...

...He realized it wasn't – it was faintly familiar, but he couldn't quite place it; not, at least, with anything held in his mind...

He tiptoed to the door, turned its handle _very_ slowly. The door opened with a slight creak, it's hinges protesting at being disturbed so suddenly.

The voices were slightly more audible now, tiny vibrations of voice floating through the morning air inside the house. He still couldn't place the other voice, the one besides his mother's...it was so familiar, and yet...

He walked across the balcony, following the trails of sound, leading himself towards their source. Creeping around the far wall, he peered to his left.

His mother's bedroom door was open, and it was from within that the voices resided. Alex held his breath..._What man would be in her bedroom at 7:00 AM?! _he thought wildly.

As he stepped forward, one of the floorboards creaked rather loudly beneath him. He froze, not even bothering to breath as he tried to keep every sound at bay.

But it hadn't worked. He heard the talking abruptly cease. With painful slowness, he heard her bed creak slightly, as though weight had been taken off of it.

He held his breath, waiting...and then...

He saw her head peek around the door...and watched as her eyes settle upon him.

It was difficult to tell exactly what emotions ran through his mother's face at that moment. He could see...surprise...fear...a tinge of happiness, all rolled into on expression. And though he saw it plainly, it served only to trouble him further.

"Mum...what is it?" he asked tentatively.

She smiled slightly, many of the feelings leaving her face. She reached out for him.

"Alex, sweetheart...there's someone I want you to meet..."

Shock seemed to course through the boy's body instantly. She wanted him to meet someone...??? Presumably, the male voice he had heard in her bedroom...

It tore at him to think of this – he had known the love his father and mother had shared...and even though he was considered to still be a little boy, he had felt it...the extreme connection that had always linked them to each other.

Could that have meant nothing? Could it possibly be that, after all they had gone through, she had moved on to loving someone else??

She saw the hesitation in his face, causing her mouth to turn downwards slightly.

"Alex...?"

He didn't exactly meet her eyes – he didn't know how he could.

She pulled her son a little closer to her body, still staring into his eyes.

"It's okay, honey...you don't have to be scared..."

He looked up at her, trying his best to make his face impartial. But in truth, the uncertainty still ran rampant through him. He didn't know what to feel...he didn't know _how _to feel...

She smiled slightly as she put her arm around him and turned him towards her bedroom door.

Still having no idea what to expect, he followed his mother, wondering whether or not he would have the strength to endure what lay ahead.

~{:*:}~

He vaguely felt the pull of his mother – he squinted his eyes, pretending as though sleep still tormented them. In reality, he did not want to see...He did not want to deal with what was speeding towards him.

He was aware of passing through the large doors that marked the entrance to his mother's bedroom; he was aware of passing by it all, as though still in a dream, unsure of what was reality...and then...

...he heard his mother's voice again, this time slightly tinged with a kind of deep-wrought melancholy that had been bursting to leave her. He could hear the tears escape her eyes.

"Alex, darling...o-open your eyes..."

He didn't want to – every fiber of his being screamed in protest at the thought of following her request. But he knew that it would not last forever...inevitability had arrived, whether he was ready or not.

Slowly..._ever so slowly_...he cracked his eyelids open.

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A/N: AHHHHHH!!! Many things to discuss, precioussss, many thingsies!

First off, I would like to give my sincerest apologies. I never intended for it to take this long to bring out this chapter. Writing has been sort of hard for me lately – writer's block, major – and, after having written this chapter a total of 4 different times, I decided to just bring out what I could.

Second, I realize that this chapter is not of the greatest quality. But not to fret! There will be an epilogue after this, so resolution will be yours!

Lastly, I want to thank you for sticking with me throughout all of this. When I lost my muse, you guys were my inspiration to go and find it again. I never would have done this without every single person who has read this.

Anyways, epilogue next (along with reviewer thank you's)! See you there!  
  


*Bachy A*

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	12. Epilogue

Epilogue:

The snow swirled intensely outside, small clouds of the whiteness fluttering to and fro, oblivious to the cares of the world around it.

It was beautiful. He had forgotten how the simplicity of it all was so enveloping, so perfect in its utter creation.

He smiled slightly, his eyes leaving the window to turn back inside.

The tall tree in the corner of the living room looked wonderful. It's long spindles of greenery peppered with colored lights; small, delicately wrapped packages adorning the floor beneath. 

It was all so perfect.

But the apex of that perfection lay right next to him. Sprawled out on the couch, with his wife and son snuggled against him, he realized that heaven on Earth was, indeed, very real.

Evie sighed softly, snuggling closer to Rick's body, automatically bringing a silently snoring Alex along with her.

His smile widened. He was here, here again for Christmas, with the two people he loved most right next to him.

Just then, he saw what he had been missing. He saw the love, long held in all of them, now seep through them all, saturating them with its essence.

Perfection would never come close to describing it.

The End

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A/N: I'm leaving the nuts and bolts of this to your imagination (I'm sorry, this is all I'm capable of right now!). So, without any further ado, onward to reviewer thank you's!

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**RickEvie4eva: **I will always know you as the first person to review my first ever fanfiction. And, I will never forget the day I read that first review – I never believed it could have happened. Thank you so much.

**Adrienne Marie:** I would really like to apologize to you – I waited yet another month before posting the last of this story. Hahaha! Oh well, better late than never, right? Thanks for your wonderful reviews.

**Ska8ergirl: **I was really glad to have met you through our love for the Mummy. Also, I really love your story – for a first-ever fic, it is incredibly engrossing! Thanks so much for everything!

**Imhoteps Lover: **Well Jess, what can I say? Since that day we met, we have always been there for each other. Thank you so much for being there for me; you are my inspiration, every single time I sit down to write. I am so happy that I not only found a wonderful writing companion, but a friend who I can rely on, no matter what. I love you for making me be the best I can be – thanks again for all the love you have shown me.

**Natters:** You were always great about reviewing this story diligently. I appreciate that so much – I hope to see you more in the future.

**Lady-Evie: **Your reviews always inspired me, just as my story inspired you. Even in my worst moments, I had people like you to guide me towards writing a better story. Thank you so much.

**Eviefan:** I remember first reading your stories at the Rick and Evie Archive. I loved them all, and I knew you to be a sensational writer. So when I received your first review, you can imagine my excitement at having such a great author read my story! Thanks.

**Twin*Muse:** I thank the day that you happened to wander into the movies section, and on to my fiction. I'm so happy that I was able to give you something that made your days brighter.

**Jester Fraser: **Yet another famous author who happened to take interest in my little venture. Thanks for your reviews – I'm glad I was able to evoke emotion with my words.

**Bebelestrange:** Great to see a new face! Thanks for all your wonderful support; it meant the world to me.

**Nefertirievy:** I'm so glad that I was able to provide you with a good story. I've really enjoyed talking to you at the Shrine. Thanks again, I know that I'll see a great writer such as you again!

**Ruse:** Rusie, I am so glad to have chanced upon a meeting with you. I never expected our acquaintance to grow into such a wonderful friendship – I am truly blessed. You have always been there for me, whether it be long nights at Worlds Apart or time just spent talking – it really means the world to me. Thank you so much for being there, and for believing in me when I stopped believing in myself.

**Marybug6otnile:** I am truly honored to be called one of the greatest authors at FF.net. Thank you so much for believing that – I am very happy that I caught your review so late in the game. I hope to see more of you around.

**Nakhti: **Hey! Well, I must say that I found your reviews to be absolutely wonderful! Even for someone who read this fic later on, you were a real "bringer-upper" (is that a word?). I am truly sorry if I've caused you to fail you Masters, but hey, who needs higher education, anywhoo? Fugetaboutit! Thanks again, I am glad to have met you!

**Marcher:** Wow, thanks for your kind words. I am so glad to have made the acquaintance of yet another famous author here (awww, gee). I am also so happy to have you at Worlds Apart – it's great to have your perspective on things. Thanks again, I'm really glad that I met you.

Thanks also to:

**Mollie**

**Chiba**

**Jessie McDonald**

**Sirius**

**ElementOfChaos**

**NEWS:** Ahhh! I did it! I reached 100 reviews on my first fanfiction! All because of you guys! You love me, you really love me! 


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